10 Halloween Activities to Build Fine Motor Skills

Fine motor skill development is essential for successful handwriting development. Teachers are discovering that many students are entering school with poorly developed motor skills. This not only affects students’ ability to write by hand, but also things like tying shoes, buttoning, and even sitting still in class.

With Halloween right around the corner, we thought we’d round up some fun Halloween activities that help build fine motor skills. From cutting with scissors and gluing to tracing shapes, these activities will encourage fine motor skill development.

10 Halloween Activities to Build Fine Motor Skills

1. Yarn Wrapped Mummy

This yarn-wrapped mummy craft from I Heart Crafty Things is adorable, and they even include a mummy template for you to use. Students will work their fine motor skills while tracing the mummy, cutting out the mummy, wrapping the yarn, and gluing the eyes.

2. Halloween Handprint Craft

Handprint crafts are always fun and add a personal touch by using the shape of the child’s hand. The Best Ideas for Kids shares these four fun options for Halloween handprint cards: a pumpkin, a vampire, a ghost, and a Frankenstein. This activity provides lots of fine motor work – from tracing to cutting to gluing – AND kids get to work on their handwriting skills by writing a message inside!

3. Yarn and Popsicle Stick Spider Web

Another great yarn craft, this spider web activity from Buggy and Buddy will make a great Halloween decoration AND get students using those small muscles!

4. Halloween Count and Drop

Frogs Snails and Puppy Dog Tails incorporates math into this fine motor skill Halloween activity. Kids use tongs to pick up Halloween erasers and count them as they deposit them into a container. Try using different erasers or other items to make this a sorting activity as well!

5. Pinecone Bats

These pinecone bats from Fireflies and Mudpies are so cute! From cutting the wings to carefully placing the eyes, ears, nose, and fangs, this activity definitely helps kids build fine motor skills. (Bonus: Be sure to check out their pinecone spiders as well!)

6. Pumpkin Emotions Craft

Hello, Wonderful’s fun pumpkin emotions craft lets students get creative with multiple expressions. The possibilities are endless, and the painting, cutting, tracing, and gluing will help with fine motor skill development.

7. Witchy Fingers Fine Motor Halloween Activity

This Witchy Fingers activity from Fun-A-Day encourages kids to use tweezers or witch fingers to pick up small objects such as pumpkin seeds, buttons, and googly eyes. As the author, Mary Catherine, noticed with her own students, this activity goes well beyond simple fine motor skill work. Kids can also practice counting, stacking, sorting, and making patterns.

8. Halloween Necklaces (Threading Straws)

In this Halloween activity from Happy Hooligans, kids thread yarn through pieces of colored straws to make a necklace. Threading is a great way to work fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, and wearable crafts are always fun!

9. Spooky Pipe Cleaner Trees

Manipulating pipe cleaners is a great way to build fine motor skills. This activity from Play Trains has students build a tree out of pipe cleaners. For a little extra decoration (and fine motor work), try threading beads onto the branches. If kids have a train set, they can then use their trees to decorate around the track!

10. Q-Tip Skeleton

For this spooky Halloween activity from Crafts for All Seasons, kids use Q-tips to create a skeleton. Cutting, positioning, and gluing the Q-tips are great for building fine motor skills!

These creative Halloween activities are sure to delight kids, and each one encourages fine motor skill development. Try them with your kids or students and comment below to let us know which one is your favorite!